Dear Barb: I am in my mid thirties and have been married for seven years. Recently I attended a New Year’s Eve party with four other couples. We have known each other for many years and always have a lot of fun together. At the party we were all drinking and by midnight we were… Read more »

Has work stressed you to the point of quitting? At work, in the past two weeks, I’ve sobbed, cringed, laughed, and loved. In the past two weeks, I’ve worked in marketing, HR, design, and IT. In the past two weeks, my boss threatened to fire me. But I love it. Previously, career-preference-tests ranked marketing as… Read more »

Are you a saint at heart? Sadly, actors shouldn’t be saints. You see, when actors do saintly things, they need a motivation: a deep desire, usually selfish or competitive. Why? The silver screen aims for tension, hence the crazy emotions. As a student, you want to add competitiveness and selfishness (and love) to your essays…. Read more »

I don’t often get to read The Globe and Mail but a lifestyle piece in the March 1, 2016, issue grabbed me by the lapels. Could this woman’s simple story provide another clue into my own makeup and very being? Naturally, I couldn’t leave it alone and like so many times in life, one thing… Read more »

Dear Barb: I am a part time student at AU and I work part time and have two children. I have been taking courses for five years and I’m only half way to earning my degree. To be honest, I’m starting to burn out. My parents help me out financially, and I receive child support… Read more »

Did you ever write a dull essay? I wrote dry essays?memorizing a PhD math proof on the first day of calculus seemed more thrilling. But what if you loved writing essays? Passionately? Loved reading them over and over like love letters from your lifelong crush? Well, you can find the love?like an actor. The best… Read more »

Did you ever fight a terrifying setback? I did. I reached the end of my work-life because of daily seven-hour panic attacks. After my work contract ended, I continued having those seven-hour panic attacks every three days. I trembled. I feared misplacing my wallet. I spaced out when someone spoke to me. And this happened… Read more »

The first Council meeting of 2017 began with the announcement that Councillor Dixie Tolliver had submitted her resignation from AUSU Council earlier that day. It was also noted that (for the second consecutive month) Councillor Andrew Gray would not be attending the meeting. As Council continues to have a high turnover and considering the expense… Read more »

The house is once again silent and I am happy. I couldn’t have said that an hour ago, well, at least not the silent part. Since about noon, Saturday, we’ve been babysitting our two-year-old grandson, Kade. Seven-year-old Grady was participating in a two-day hockey tournament in beautiful downtown St. Paul. With our son, Greg spending… Read more »

Dear Barb: My problem has to do with a dog sitter that I hired to look after my two poodles. My husband and I initially considered putting them in a kennel, but after touring a few, we decided our dogs would not do well. We felt it would be too traumatic for them to adjust… Read more »